Rose Harlequin Dressing Table

I turned this desk into a dressing table awhile back, but just got it installed in the cottage yesterday, so now seems like a good time to share it.

I found this desk at a thrift store. It had a few minor issues (gouges, ink in a drawer) but was in great shape, and would offer lots of lovely storage.

I mixed a lot of custom paint colors for this project. I had several jars of chalk paint left over in small quantities and combined them to create the colors I wanted for this desk/dressing table. I started with a light green with a yellow cast for the main body.

Then I make a darker version and painted stripes along the sides. Masking tape helps keep the lines crisp when painting stripes.

I used the Roses Mould from Iron Orchid Designs and my favorite (discontinued) air dry clay to make castings for the drawer fronts.

I had a set of handles that I got on clearance somewhere that fit the old holes exactly. They have leaves on them that look very similar to the rose leaves on the castings.

I painted the top a creamy white. I wanted a harlequin design, but I didn’t want to draw my lines with a pencil because both my colors were light, and the lines might show through the paint. So I created a grid with narrow ribbon. This wasn’t the easiest process and I don’t necessarily recommend it. I thought I wanted the peachy pink to be blotted on in a rough harlequin design, so I just pounced it between the ribbons.

That ended up looking messy and unfinished, so I went back and taped off grids and repainted the pink to make a clean, crisp pattern. Little dots of Rose Gold Metallic Paint added so much to the design. I used a collection of French inspired stencils and my favorite Smoked Oyster Stencil Creme to add even more interest to the top.

I mixed a paler peachy pink for the fronts of the drawers and used Deco Art Metallic Lustre Wax in Rose Gold and Lavish Green to highlight the flowers and leaves on the castings.